updated 07:55 am EDT, Wed October 29, 2008

ASUS Android Enroute

ASUS could be the next Asian cellphone maker after HTC to make Android phones, according to claims by reported market insiders. The company until now has made Windows Mobile devices almost exclusively but would launch a device based on the Google mobile OS sometime within the first half of 2009, releasing self-branded models first in its Taiwan-area home and later customizing the devices for "overseas" regions. No technical details have been released, though ASUS focuses heavily on 3G data and regularly adds GPS.

It's not known to what degree ASUS would be supplementing its Windows Mobile devices or replacing some of them. However, the move if substantiated is potentially a blow to Microsoft, which regularly touts phone makers such as ASUS as examples of its diversification.

Separately, ASUS is reportedly looking to switch its systems to Marvell and Qualcomm processors, including a dual-core chip from Qualcomm. The switch would suggest a move further towards ARM processors and with dual core would better allow more processor-intensive tasks like 3D.